Cervicogenic headache: comparison with migraine without aura; Vågå study

Abstract

The prevalence of cervicogenic headache (CEH) is only vaguely known. Furthermore, it is a common belief that in migraine without aura (MwoA), neck symptoms frequently occur and that MwoA and CEH may pathogenetically be intimately related. In the Vågå study, 1838 18-65-year-old citizens (88.6% of that age group) were studied with face-to-face interviews and a thorough neck examination. For CEH, the Cervicogenic Headache International Study Group criteria were used, and for MwoA, the IHS criteria. The extent of cervical involvement was assessed by the 'CF' ('features indicative of cervical abnormality'). CEH prevalence was 4.1%. 'CF' was 2.37 in CEH vs 0.93 in M-A. CEH criteria, e.g. mechanical attack provocation, were present many times more frequently in CEH than in MwoA. Conversely, migraine criteria, e.g. photophobia, were >/= 2.6 times higher in MwoA than in CEH. CEH is unlikely to be a subgroup of MwoA.